Refrigerator latch



Sept. 5, 1933.` G. E. DE voE REFRIGERATOR LATCH 2 sheets-sheet 1 FiledJuly 29. 1932 sept. 5, 1.933. G. E. DE VCE 1,925,308

REFRIGERATOR LATCH Filed July 29, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 2; g hweo 32 Y6^ 33 Gem e-mi (Moe,

Patented Sept. 5, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE signor to Winters &

Crampton Manufacturing' Company, Grandville, Mich., a corporation ofMichigan Application July 29, 1932. Serial No. 625,645 4 Claims. (Cl.292-221) This invention relates to a refrigerator latch and isparticularly concerned with a latch which is concealed between -the edgeof the door and the adjacent edge of the casing, the only parts of thelatch exposed when the door is closed consisting of the operating handleand its mounting.

It is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to produce avery simply constructed and economical concealed latch for use onrefrigerators, by means of which a downwardly extending operatinghandle, or drop handle socalled may be used for actuating the latch, andone which is very easily installed and mounted on a refrigerator.

The invention consists in many nov-el arrangements and combinations ofparts cooperating together to effect the production of a simple,durable, practical and serviceable refrigerator latch. An understandingof the invention may be had from the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing so much of the latch as appears at theouter side of the door.

Fig. 2 is a section substantially on the plane of line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through an edge portion of a refrigeratordoor and adjacent portion of the casing, illustrating the position of,the latch parts when the door is held closed, and

Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3, showing the position of the partswhen the handle has been operated to retract the latch bolt.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different gures ofthe drawings.

The door of the refrigerator may'be of conventional construction havingan inner body or core 1 of suitable heat insulating material coveredwith sheet metal, having a lining 2 at its inner side and an outercovering 3, the door being provided with the usual outwardly extendingriser flange 4 around its edges to extend over theadjacent portions ofthe refrigerator casing around the door opening. At the free edge of thedoor, the opposite edge having a hinge connection to the refrigeratorcasing, is a plate 5 having an opening 6 through it. The plate isinclined at an acute angle to the plane of the face of the door asshown.

In the latch construction a supporting member is provided, preferablymade of sheet metal, having spaced apart sides 7 and 8 connected at oneedge by a cross member 9 integral therewith, and also by a cross member10 located inwardly a short distance from the member 9; and the metalbetween the parts 9 and 10 is struck and bent inwardly to lie betweenthe sides 7 and 8 to provide a supporting ledge 11 through which anopening is made. The outer edges of the sides 7 and 8 are turned atright angles, as indicated at 12, to lie against the outer face 3 of thedoor and said parts 12 are provided with openings therethrough havingshort circular sleeves 13 pressed outwardly therefrom as shown in Fig.2.

A latching bolt is located between the inner end portions of the sides 7and 8 of the support. The bolt is preferably of sheet metal and has acam outer side 14 and a rounded cam end l5 from which spaced apart sides16 extend inwardly. These are extended into spaced apart arms 17 at anangle approximating a right angle to the sides 16. The latch bolt ispivoted on and between the sides 7 and 8 on a `pivot pin 18 whichextends through the same at the juncture of the parts 16 and 17 as shownin Figs. 3 vand 4. The inner ends of the arms 17 have somewhat elongatedslots 19 cut therein.

A push rod 20 passes through the opening in the ledge 11 previouslydescribed and at its inner end has a pin 21 passing therethrough whichseats at its ends in the slots 19. A coiled spring 22 is located aroundthe rod 20 between said ledge 11 and a washer 23 located on and aroundrod 20 and held from outward movement thereon by a Cotter pin as shownin Figs. 3 and 4.

This latch structure is adapted to be inserted through a suitableopening cut in the outer facc and adjacent the free vertical edge of thedoor, the parts 12 coming against the outer face of the door and theouter portion of the latch bolt passing through the opening 6 in theplate 5. After being thus inserted the latch is covered by a coveringhousing which carries the operating handle.

The covered housing is made of sheet metal and is stamped to provide ailat flange portion 24 9 from which an outwardly pressed or embossedhousing 25 extends, the anges 24 at then' edges having an inturnedcontinuous lip. These anges come against the outer ends of the circularsleeves 13 and space the housing at its edges a very slight distancefrom the metal covering 3 at the outer side of the door. Screws l26 passthrough the flange 24 and through the openings surrounded by the sleeves13 and thread into the door and into a metal backing plate la (Fig. 2)which may lie underneath the outer covering metal 3 of the door, therebypermanently securing the housing and the operating handle which itcarries in place.

The housing 25 is cut away at its upper portion for association of anoperating handle therewith which has one end portion partially enteredinto the housing. The handle is pivoted on a pivot pin 28 extendedbetween the sides of the housing 25 and has a nger 29 provided with aconcaved recess at its inner side in which the outer end of the rod 20has a bearing. A coiled spring 30, located within the housing 25 andaround the pivot pin 28 serves to normally move the handle so that ashoulder 31 thereon engages with the housing 25 at one end of theopening made therethrough for reception of the handle.

Normally the spring 22 under compression serves to move rod 20 outwardlyan'd keep it in engagement with the adjacent end of the handle 27 andturn the latch bolt so that its free end portion passes through theopening 6 in the plate 5 to engage with the keeper on the adjacent sideof the casing. The refrigerator casing may be of conventionalconstruction having an interior body'31 of heat insulating materialcovered and lined with metal 32, and with a metal plate 33 parallel tothe plate 5 and inclined the same, secured to the casing at the edge ofthe door opening where the latch is to engage. The plate 33 has anopening therein and associated with the plate is a keeper 35 of sheetmetal provided with,

a recessed portion 35 which passes through said opening and enters arecessed portion of the adjacent part of the body 31 of the casing.

With the doorclosed the outer end of the latch bolt partially enters therecessed part 35 of the keeper and the cam outer end at 15, ridingagainst the keeper, has a tendency to draw the door tightly closed andcompress a yieldable bumper 36 between the riser flange of the door andthe adjacent partof the casing. Any attempt to open the door withoutgrasping the handle 27 serves to more rmly wedge the latch bolt againstthe keeper. Should any articles within the refrigerator fall against theinner side of the door the same will not open to any extent. The door isopened by grasping the handle 27 and pulling outwardly thereon. Thismoves the rod 20 inwardly and turns the latch bolt about the pivot pin18, withdrawing the projecting end of the latch bolt from the keeper andfreeing the door for opening, which will occur automatically by reasonof the outward pull on the handle, the opening of the door following assoon as the latch has disengaged from the keeper.

With the door open the same may be readily closed by moving the door toclosed position, whereupon the cam side 14 of the latch bolt rides overthe rounded outer end portion of the keeper 34 until the keeper recess35 is reached. Inasmuch as the handle 27 has no positive connection withthe rod 23, the handle will not move with the latch bolt as the door isbeing closed but will be maintained in its normal position by spring 30.

The construction described is of a simple and practical form,economically manufactured, easily and quickly installed and has provedvery satisfactory in use. The invention is defined in the appendedclaims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structurecoming within their scope.

rezagos I claim:

1. In a latch structure, a unit integral support having spaced apartconnected sides, a supporting ledge carried by said support between saidsides, a rod extending through said ledge and guided thereby, springmeans around said rod bearing against the ledge at one end, means on therod bearing against said spring means at thefother end thereof, a latchbolt pivotally mounted on said support between the sides thereof andadjacent the inner end'of the support and to one side of the inner endof said rod, said latch bolt including spaced apart arms extending fromits pivot one to either side of the inner end of the rod, and a pinpassing through the inner end of said rod and said arms, as specied.

2. In a construction of the class described, a door, a latch structurehoused within the door adjacent a vertical edge thereof comprising, asupport having spaced apart sides, a latch bolt pivotally mountedbetween said sides adjacent the inner ends thereof, a guiding ledgecarried by said support between its sides, a rod passing through saidledge pivotally connected at its inner end with said latch bolt, andspring means bearing against said ledge and operatively connected withsaid rod to move the rod outwardly, as specied.

3. A latch construction comprising, a support having spaced apartconnected sides, a transverse supporting ledge between said sides andbetween the ends of the support, a rod passing through said ledge, acoiled spring around said rod bearing at one end against the ledge,means on the rod against which the other end of the spring bears, alatch bolt pivotally mounted on and lying between between the sides ofsaid support at the inner end portions thereof, said latch boltcomprising arms extending between the pivot of the bolt and the innerend` of said rod, said arms being continued substantially at rightangles from said pivot and having acam side and a cam end between thefree end portion of the combinations of said arms, and a pivot extendingthrough the inner end of said rod and the adjacent ends of said arms.

4. In a latch construction of the class described, adapted to bereceived within an opening leading from one edge of the door and oneside thereof, having a latch bolt and operating mechanism thereforincluding an operating rod adapted to be axially moved to operate thelatch bolt, the combination of, a support having sides, each of saidsides of said support at its outer end being provided with an extensionturned at right angles to lie against the outer side of the door, saidextensions having openings therethrough and short annular sleevessurrounding said openings extending outwardly, a covering housing havinglateral flanges located against the outer side of the door, said flangesbearing against the outer ends of said sleeves, screws passing throughthe flanges and through said sleeves into said door, and a handlepivotally mounted on said housing having an end thereof engaged with theouter end of said rod.

GEORGE EARL DE VOE.

